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Tag Archives: thai kittens

5
Jun

The Thai is thebreed dedicated to preserving the native pointed cat of Thailand in as close to its original form as possible. Thai is the official breed name in TICA and in many registries in Europe, but the breed is known in Thailand itself as the Wichienmaat and elsewhere as the “Old-Style Siamese.”

Thais are shorthaired and have the colorpoint pattern, which includes deep blue eyes, whitish beige body, and dark-colored extremities (the “points”), but they are moderate in type, never extreme. To some the Thai is synonymous with “applehead Siamese, ” but to others it is not. “Applehead” is a colloquial American term, not an official breed name, and means different things to different people. The Thai is the natural pointed cat that you find in Thailand today and closely resembles late 19th and early 20th century Siamese, such as Greta Hindley’s queen Prestwick Perak.

The Thai has the personality made famous the world over by the early Siamese. They are highly intelligent, people-loving, active, curious, and endowed with a great sense of humor. Living with these cats is like living with small children. Thais will get into everything you own, jump to the top of your wall-mounted clock and balance there, teetering, just to see if they can. They will follow you around and try to “help” you with everything you are doing.

Thais are great talkers: they aren’t necessarily loud, but they’re chatty. Thais will greet you at the door when you come home and start chatting away; but they also communicate with taps of the paw or by jumping to the top of your shoulder and putting their face right in yours. They will need a response and daily attention from you.

Physically, the Thai is easy to maintain as they take care of their daily grooming. But a soft brush is still good to help get the loose hair off them and good for stimulating blood flow for a healthy cat…and happy cat!

You can learn more about the history of the Thai, and its traits by visiting TICA’s web site. You can also print off the breed profile so you have information about this fascinating breed available at all times.